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All posts for the month October, 2011

A Passage of right and a test for eager young pathfinders , there test was to make them part of the pathfinders society, but it all went wrong ….Welcome to the pathfinders

After completing the crypt of eveflame, you found a new cult was spreading all over golarion, and minting new coins , there leader and few of the higher acolytes you found out were drow! Unseen in thousand of years. This has gone unanswered

The characters where sent to small industrial town Sandpoint and look for an elven tracker named Shilelu Andosan , you got to sand point and found it was under attack from goblins , fighting them off you noticed it was not just one tribe but atleast 5, after solving a few minor murders ,you saved a man Aldern Foxglove and he took you hunting , you saw a merchants wagon had been hijacked , entering a cave you saw goblins and ogres , also you found a table full of maps and scrolsl, that you failed to look through and you left the cave, meeting Shilelu and learning of the tribes , the sheriff leaves for magnimar with tales of goblin and dark elves, he ask you to take care of the village, The characters a buy a small townhouse each and decide this will be there base of operations ,a you barmiad ask for your help when her employer goes missing , after reading a translated diary you find out she is the daughter of the owner of the glassworks and has a missfit brother who has lured her there as soon the sheriff left town, and mnay fughts with creatures in the depths of the glassworks , you find an ancient set of sub caverns which seem to be many thousands of years of years old from the Thassilon empire , you cornered the son of the glass work owner and found he was obsessed with a women called nualia by reading his journal , he made his escape into a very very old dungeon , whose chambers were there over 10,000 years earlier , you found a locked room ( caming back you found a quasit thaurmaturge and a runewell). You found markings on the wall depicting the thassalion empire which was around 11,000 years old , it depicted men ,dwarves and elves all fighting different types of demons , you also found many books and scrolls. Some of the books Mentioned the ancient empire and runes .

Extracts from the books :

The Thassilonian wizard is a figure straight from legend: rune-marked, sneering, and powerful enough to destroy armies with a word or summon creatures who are now myths themselves. Their empire rose on the back of a prudent king and his seven greatest wizards, but magic and the corruptions of power unraveled it in the end. When wizards runemark their goods, they take part in the traditions of the Empire, where runes marked all the property of the great wizards, and giants anddragons bent to human will.

The Laying of Runes The early empire was not founded by the runelords who later grew to dominate it, but rather by the First King Xin, who was honored in the names of the empire’s seven capital cities. More than 11,000 years ago, Xin established lawful orders of knighthood and wizardry, endowed monastic traditions, and devoted donations of the kingdom’s wealth to charity and the end of hunger. Yet, more than a benevolent ruler, Xin was a visionary. In seeking to create a paradise of civilization within the span of his own lifetime, he called out to beings from beyond reality and bargained with ancient dragons. These mysterious accords granted Xin an understanding of rune magic—said by some to be the written language of creation—and brought the worship of the mysterious goddess Lissala to Thassilon. Inscribing his orders, contracts, and writs with these symbols of power, he regulated trade, established justice, and arranged his ever-growing lands into seven great domains with an effi ciency inspired by magical aid and compulsion. Xin’s just, magic-suffused decrees became known as the Rune Law, and brought about incredible works, empowered the servants of the domain, and compelled the creation of wonders, all of which motivated Thassilon’s swift ascendance in power and influence. This was called the Celestial Age of the Empire.Xin outlived his creation in some ways. Unable to keep track of all his swiftly growing empire’s provinces, taxes, armies, and subjects, he appointed governors, favoring arcanists for their knowledge and the ease with which they could be bribed with insights into rune magic. The greatest of these magistrates were the seven runelords, powerful wizards who showed especial skill and passion for the use of runes and the imperial arcana, which would later be known assin magic. Yet, as these wizards’ powers increased, they grew discontent with servitude and living at the whim of the First King. In secret, they forged their own pacts with mysterious extraplanar powers, covetous dragons, and the devious aboleths.From these bargains, the first rune giants were born, 40-foot-tall paragons of strength and obedience that could in turn control the other giant races. With these armies of giant slaves the runelords erected not just roads and walls, but immense monoliths and statues in honor of—at first—the empire, but later, their own images. Over time, the emperor’s generals, advisors, and runelords saw that Old Xin (as he was called in his dotage) could not maintain his mastery of the realm or his potent magics. After ruling 110 years, Xin’s magic consumed him in a confl agration of scarlet flames that destroyed much of the imperial palace, and left no remains of the First King. Careless of their emperor’s mysterious end, the runelords seized their domains for themselves, subjugating Xin’s most powerful generals and viziers and leaving his eldest son a puppet emperor in the city of Xin—a small mountain prison where he could be controlled. The runelords themselves turned to greater plans, furthering their own control of the runes in hopes of subjugating their peers. Each meant to claim the empire for himself, master the runes as Xin had, and reap the wealth of the nation to fuel magics beyond any the First King had ever imagined. of the provider caste, the Varisians, are a nomadic people who

You found out that runewells are an ancient power , there are lesser , greater and major and they are all linked , they are fed by souls of people marked with a rune of a certain type, each minor runwell is linked to a greater runewell which is linked to a major runewell, the more souls it’s the greater the amount of demons it can bring forth.

In one of the books an ancient place of falcons hallow was described ,

The characters then travelled to Thistledown to confront Nualia and find out what was behind the attacks Also at thistle top was a nasty bugbear ranger brazmathus (the arch enemy of Shilelu) and a few goblin chiefs , Korvus and ripnugget.The island itself has an unusual genesis—it was in fact once the head of one of Karzoug’s sentinel statues that stood upon the ridge of land called the Rasp before the nation of Bakrakhan became the Varisian Gulf. The statue itself has long since crumbled and become overgrown by the Nettlewood, but the head escaped such obscurement by landing in the surf. The magical nature of the statue’s construction drasticaly slowed the process of erosion on the head’s features, and when the sun hits the western cliff of the isle just right, one can just make out a shadow of the statue’s face. An ancient cult took over the island as it had the perfect shape! A severed head , the cult of Lamashtu (god of evil fertility) , working your way through the dungeon , you found many more books and scrolls , it would take days to look through them all, you see a mention of the lost art of Warding , demons owning the night and a book at falcons hollow that could help, you had a lot of reading and research and trip to falcons hollow 2 weeks to the north along some of the most unforgiving land in golarion. But that was not enough you have months of research, and have still not taken time to look .

Arriving at Falcons hallow, a small lumber village , ran by greedy business men, you find the local cleric/healer called Laurel Cirthana – Helping laurel cure a plague and finding her grandmothers diary , they travelled through a dense wood to an ancient dwarf monastery , which was inhabited by spiders and werebeasts , they found a book of ancient thasillon history and the old womens diary, in which she spoke of heroes from a an age past…

The world plagued by the attacks of demons known as corelings, which rise from the planet’s core each night to feast upon humans. The ongoing attrition of these attacks have reduced humanity from an advanced state of technology to a ‘dark age’. The only defense against the corelings are wards (magical runes) that can be drawn, painted, or inscribed to form protective barriers around human settlements. These are, however, fragile and prone to failure unless properly maintained. Alen – a human monk , Alen discovers the lost combat wards inscribed in the ruins of Anoch Sun. Betrayed by the men of Kraisa, he uses the wards on himself, becoming “The Warded Man”. Leesha – an elf Leesha is young elf girl who lives with her abusive mother and downtrodden father. After a slanderous rumor spread by her fiancé seems to destroy her chances of a respectable marriage and shows the true nature of many of her friends and the hypocrisy of the villagers, she devotes herself to learning the ways of herb gathering to care for the sick. Rokjer – Dark Elf- Rokjer is the only member of his family to survive a coreling attack. He is rescued and adopted by an alcoholic jongleur, a type of roaming jester that frequently travels with messengers and performs in villages on the messenger’s route. Rokjer has a deformed hand, caused by a childhood encounter with corelings. This limits his ability to juggle but does not hinder him in the least when he plays his favorite instrument, the fiddle. He later remembers that the jongleur that adopted him actually caused the death of his mother, he confronts him on the road about this later, and the jongleur, in a fit of drunken rage, pushes him into the corelings. He then sees his mistake, and dies in order to save Rojer’s life. With his fiddle Rokjer can entrance the corelings with his music causing the corelings to follow him, anger them to rage, make them oblivious to others, or drive them away with jarring music. Rokjer tries without success to teach others his skills with the fiddle. Corelings –The origin of the corelings is an enigma to humankind, but legend suggests that corelings live by day in the Earth’s core and rise to the planet’s surface each night to feed. There are different types of corelings (known as alagai in the Krasian language), each associated with a particular element.Fire demons- small, cat-like creatures, fond of arson, and able to spit “demonfire”, a supernatural form of napalm. Wood demons- tall and powerful, with skin that camouflages them in wooded areas, though vulnerable to fire and thus antagonistic to fire demons. Wind demons- Small bodied but with large membranous wings, these demons hunt from the air silently and effectively but their wings also limit their movement on the ground Rock demons- massive powerful creatures, with rock-like, horny thick skin. Water demons- tentacled and unable to survive away from water. Sand demons- smaller versions of rock demons, which stand on all-fours and are the most commonly encountered demons in the deserts of Krasia where they hunt the sands in packsAll of these demons have magical abilities, including rapid healing, enhanced strength, and poisonous talons. Although primarily interested in their human prey, they are also prone to attacking one another, particularly when a more powerful coreling chances upon a smaller, weaker or wounded variety.

Becoming minor celebrities in falcons hollow, they were about to settle and do some research when………………………………..

A murderer terrorizes Sandpoint. Victims are left mutilated and faceless, and carved into their chests is a mysterious rune left by a madman calling himself “The Skinsaw Man.” You investigate, encounter the Skinsaw Man’s ghoul minions, and confront the murderer—your old acquaintance Alden Foxglove—in a haunted mansion near Sandpoint. There, it’s revealed that he is but an agent of a larger cult based in the city of Magnimar. Hearing of the your involvement with the Skinsaw Man,. You must travel to the city and avoid being jailed while investigating the Skinsaw cult, whose agents prove all too aware of their pursuit. The search leads to a decommissioned clock tower, which the you must infiltrate, then battle the cultists and confront their leader, a sadistic lamia from the ruins of a lost city. the lamia has been charged with harvesting “souls, and her use of the Sihedron Rune—the same symbol both Nualia and the Skinsaw Man employed—hints at a larger conspiracy. The Major players Chief Justice Ironbriar a Cleric/Rogue of Norborger and the lamia both escape. You did however discover a dairy in the mansion of Aldern Foxglove, concerning his Grandfather Vorel Foxglove a self made lich. Written in one of the tomes of vorel foxglove, talks about his search for a lost library, in his quest he was driven into madness and spoke to devil ,demon and things the mind could not deal with, it was then his quest to become a liche started, The name Tirana and Vael the Rat king of Kaer Maga both appear in the book, he dealed with for information and items of dark power , Kaer Maga Known as the city of stranger ,a dark and nasty town, lawless, perched on the edge of civilisation known as the shelf, beyond are the cinderlands and other undiscovered places. In his dealings Tirana they drank dream wine which put Vorel into a dream state and Vorel listened of old tales about the old Thassilion empire , she spoke sometimes of Wards and the art of rune warding which is now a lost art , of a library lost for an age which held information about the thassilion empire.She spoke of powers long forgot. The visions she showed me were a horrible world filled with the vilest creatures , these things ruled the night, whilst man,dwarf and elf fair and black surviving together barely making it through the day . They had only had a few cities left They showed me the under dark , the black elf cities deserted , demons , and other creatures of the dark moved to the surface, these core creatures forced all creatures to the surface . A mage of the black skinned el ones called Larin Karn, talked of runewells , spewing forth these Demons made of fire and rocks. The Duergar cities were the last to hold held as they had armour and weapons imbued against these demons but again were forced to flee.The Rat King and his devil whore said the answers were lost to the living and only the most powerfull of the dead could find the answers, that is when i started my journey. They said in the lost library a great evil now reigned, the living who attempted to go there were forever damned, it is said only the dead can walk in the library of lost souls.

Two of the characters were contacted by the pathfinder guild to go and speak to a cleric named Wen Histani , after meeting the cleric this is what she told them

“You have been chosen,” she begins, “for a matter of utmost importance. All of you possess abilities that could come in handy in the task set for you, but before I go farther, I must reiterate again that this matter must be held in the strictest confidence.”Just over a month ago, an item was stolen from one of our vaults. The break-in was an audacious one, and a vulgar display of magical power—the vault’s guardians themselves, allpriests of no mean strength, were overcome by enchantments that convinced them to open the vault, allowing the thief to simply walk in and take what she desired. By itself, that would be enough to concern us. But there’s more. “The item stolen was a powerful relic from the ancient past known as the Sword ofLust, one of a set of corrupt weapons known collectively as the Seven Swords of Sin. While by itself it might not pose an overwhelming threat, after the break-in whispers began toreach us of similar occurrences in private collections, government armories, and so forth. People are naturally reluctant to talk about what has been taken, but it’s our belief that the thief is foolish enough to try assembling all seven swords. Through our investigations and communion with our Lord, we’ve managed to trace the twisting paths back to a single woman, a powerful enchantress named Tirana. She dwells somewhere in Kaer Maga, a corrupt den of thieves and apostates located high on the Storval Ridge. “We aren’t certain what she plans, but it’s easy enough to see that it bodes ill for Varisia. If she were to succeed in actually taking control of all the swords, the powershe would wield would be immense. Cities could burn. Rivers could boil. Churches,” she finishes with a grim smile, “could crumble.”That’s where you come in.”

But before the characters could get on with that part of the adventure they were ambushed by unknown forces , but were helped by the duergar , then didnt continue down this line of investigation and returned to magnimar!!!!

The group were also asked to kill a man named Vael in kaer maga the payment was 1000 gold

After 2 weeks of recovering from Flue, the leader of magnimar approached ( after saving his life ) you are now his trusted friend, on the edge of civilization (storval ridge) is a fort in owned by magnimar, called fort Rannick , they hold back the monsters and such from invading the more civilized lands. But there has been no word from Rannick for months, scouts haven’t returned ,you have been asked to travel there and find out what has been going on.

The characters find themselves with things to do at fort Rannick and Kear maga , but which?Travelling to Wartle there first major stop , they pass through a small village bethra , as the winter turns worse, you save the village from a pack of dire wolves forced by pure hunger into the village area , a druid called Samot asks the character to help him across the frozen swamp area , to deliver goods to a wizard , Shalelu turns up and tells the PCs that Ironbriar and Lamia where seen at the viper wall , 2 weeks ago, and haven’t been seen since. Viperwall: Embossed with great stone serpents, the conical roofs of this brooding castle’s many towers shine in the moonlight. Avoided by locals, the structure is often surrounded by a greenish haze of poisonous gas which leaks steadily from fanged sculptures in its walls.

Shalelu’s got her own reasons for wanting to makethe journey to Fort Rannick. One of the rangers stationed there, a man named Jakardros, was at one time her mother’s lover. Shalelu’s memories of Jakardros are mostly of a young, exuberant man. She wasn’t sure what her mother saw in the impulsive young human, but she was glad he was there for her. When her mother was slain in a dragon attack, Jakardros left suddenly and without explanation, leaving Shalelu with a bad impression that eventually drove her into the isolated life she has lived for the past several years as a bounty hunter in the Sandpoint hinterlands. She recently learned that Jakardros has taken up with the Black Arrows of Fort Rannick and would very much like the opportunity to find out why the man abandoned her mother so abruptly after her death, if only to convince herself that he hadn’t been taking advantage of her in some way. And if he had, Shalelu wants a chance to even the score. The Druid comes clean and says the Wizard is evil , he is holding his wife captive and begs the PCs to help, as the weather gets worse the characters now find themselves on an icey bridge next to a tower of ice.

After Defeating the immoth in his tower , the characters made there way to wartle , famous for there lumpy alchoholic drink called BOG Grog. You are to trave througn Sanos Forest of central Varisia is the heart of the gnome community of that land. This large wood is located north of the Yondabakari River, south of the Iron Peaks and east of the Malgorian Mountains, and the gnomes who live there are quite secretive about what goes on within it. Rumor has it that there is a direct gate to the First World of the Fey, but no gnome has officially confirmed this.

Old Sanos Trail: This forest path winds through the Sanos connecting many of the gnome communities, and eventually leading to the human town of Turtleback Ferry. Some say that the trail will magically change its path in order to redirect those who come with ill intent towards the gnomes.[2]

A local noble, Lord Carroway, has heard rumors of trouble and hires the PCs to quietly investigate. Worried by rumors of an elven pogrom (“just like in the Lendore Isles”), he needs to know if the elven kingdom on the other side of the forest has begun plans for a hostile campaign against the humans who live on this side of the forest or is merely seizing the neutral territory that lies between.

• Haunting ballads have recently begun to circulate, retelling stories of events from the distant past. These ballads—The Coming of Ashardalon, The Saithnasmal (“Saithnar’s Last Battle”) Dydd’s Farewell, The Deeds of

the Lady Durnsay, and others—allude to ancient eventsin great (if sometimes confusing) detail. Someone somewhere has either unearthed some long-forgotten songs or else has discovered a source of information on a period of great deeds now almost lost to history, and every bard, historian, antiquarian, and treasureseekerin the land would like to know who.

You have Found out the following information so far

THE MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS

These monuments are centuries old, made by the original human inhabitants of this land (long ago displaced on most of the continent by invaders from the west and south). Most believe that a curse protects the
stones, striking down any who damage them. All monuments show signs of age and weathering, but any that have fallen or broken over the years were mended and raised back into position by first the druids and later by the villagers, out of respect for tradition. The Double Circle. The most impressive of the monuments, these stones surround the town of Ossington.The ninety-one stones of the outer circle stand 30 feet high, and each stone weighs many tons. The twenty-eight stones of the inner circle stand about 20 feet tall. The three trilithons in the center of the inner circle are each made of two 30- foot-tall uprights with a lintel-stone bridging the dozen or so feet between them.. .
The Chapel of Nine Gods. Dyson’s not surewhether this is a very primitive building or a very oldbarrow from which the overlaying earth has eroded away. He believes it was once sacred to an earthmother goddess named Beory but was long ago
adapted to the worship of the whole neutral “pantheon.” The area within the ring-ditch has been used as the local cemetery for hundreds of years: local custom prescribes cremation (“very economical—we’ve used
the same burial ground for centuries—and no worry about necromancers and all that lot mucking about with your bones after you’re dead and gone.”) The Silence Keepers. These five tall, thin, weathered stones might have once been a dolmen, the uprights supporting a large, flat stone that now lies fallen in their midst. Or the local legend might be true that these were five evil sorcerers who slew the warlord with spells and treachery and were turned to stone by the druids. In this version, the central flat stone is where they performed the necessary sacrifices to invoke their dark magic. Whatever its origin!

You encountered the headless horseman , the old man with his elven daughter and finally the insane druid of the 9 gods, finally making it to the small village of ossington, the Bard Known as the Cuckoo, directed the characters to the village elder , elder Murdow.!

The primary villain of “Burnt Offerings” is a bitter aasimar woman named Nualia. A foundling raised by Sandpoint’s previous religious leader, a man named Ezakien Tobyn, Nualia’s childhood was lonely and sad. Her unearthly beauty made the other children either jealous or shy, and many of them took to playing cruel jokes on her.The adults in town weren’t much better—many of the superstitious Varisians viewed Nualia as blessed by Desna, a sort of “reverse deformity.” Rumors that her touch or proximity could cure warts and rashes, that locks of her hair brewed into tea could increase fertility, and that her voice could drive out evil spirits led to endless awkward and humiliating requests over the years. Poor Nualia feltmore like a freak than a young girl by the time she came of age, so when Delek Viskanta, a local Varisian youth, began to court her, she practically fell into his arms in gratitdue. Knowing that her father wouldn’t approve of a relationship with a Varisian (he wanted her to remain pure so that she could join one of the prestigious Windsong Abbey convents), they kept the aff air secret. They met many times in hidden places, a favorite being an abandoned smuggler’s tunnel under town that Delek had discovered as a child. Before long, Nualia realized she was pregnant. When she told Delek, he revealed his true colors and, after calling her a slut and a harlot, fl ed Sandpoint rather than face her father’s wrath. Nualia’s shock quickly turned to rage, yet she had nowhere to vent her anger. She bottled it up, and when her father discovered her delicate condition, his reaction to her indescretions only furthered her shame and anger. He forbade her to leave the church, lectured her nightly, and made her pray to Desna for forigeness. In so doing, he unknowingly nurtured her growing hate.

When the runewell in the Catacombs of Wrath flared to life, Nualia’s own anger was a magnet to its magic. Seven months pregnant, the wrathful energies suff used her mind and she fl ew into a frenzy. She miscarried her child later that night, a child whose monstrously deformed shape she only glimpsed before blanching midwives stole it away to burn it in secret. As the child had been concieved in the smuggler’s tunnels below town, in close proximity to a hidden shrine to Lamashtu (the goddess of monstrous births), the child itself was deformed and horrific. The double shock of losing a child and the realization she had been carrying a fi end in her belly for seven months was too much. Nualia fell into a coma. As Nualia slept, she dreamed unhealthy dreams. Fueled by the wrath from below and the taint of Lamashtu, Nualia became further obsessed with the cruel demon goddess and the conviction that her wretched life was infl icted on her by those around her. She came to see her angelic heritage as a curse, and the demon-sent dreams showed her how to expunge this taint from her body and soul, replacing it with chaos and cruelty. When she fi nally woke, Nualia was someone new, someone who didn’t fl inch at what Lamashtu asked of her. She jammed her father’s door shut as he slept, lit the church on fire, and fled Sandpoint. The locals assumed Nualia had burned in the fi re, a tragedy made ill the worse by the death of Father Tobyn as well. Yet Nualia lived. She fled to Magnimar, where she enlisted the aid of a group of killers known as the Skinsaw Men. With their aid, she tracked down Delek and murdered him. Yet his death did not fi ll her need for revenge. Sandpoint and its hated citizens still lived. Seeing a kindred spirit in the tortured woman, the mysterious leader of the Skinsaw Men gave Nualia a medallion bearing a carving of a seven-pointed star called a “Sihedron medallion.” Nualia learned that she had a larger role to play, and that her dreams were a map to her destiny. Taking the advice to heart, Nualia returned to Sandpoint, and found herself drawn to the brick wall in the smuggler’s tunnels where she and Delek had conceived her deformed child. Nualia bashed down the wall, and in so doing, discovered the Catacombs of Wrath and the quasit Erylium, also a follower of Lamashtu. For many months, Nualia studied under Erylium’s tutelage. During this time, Nualia received another vision from Lamashtu—a vision of a monstrous goblin wolf imprisoned in a tiny room. In Nualia’s dreams, she learned that this creature, a barghest named Malfeshnekor, was also one of Lamashtu’s chosen. If she could fi nd him and free him, he would not only help her achieve her vengeance against the town of Sandpoint, but he would be the key in cleansing her body of what she had come to see as her “celestial taint.” Nualia wanted to be one of Lamashtu’s children now. She wanted to become a monster herself.

Taken from young age you serve the Order of The Ironcross, an ancient order thousands of years old, you have fought for them as long as you can remember , you have been assasin,child and kin slayer, but it has never sat right with you, well in your heart that is. things have been changing in the underdark for the last few months, ancient wells of immense power have been activating , and with the drow, svirfneblin, derro and duergar mostly at war , these Runewells are going un noticed , by all the clans and drow houses. Only a few ancient orders have joined together to look into these wells. For Kolbi You were sent to the surface to look into the ancient art of runewarding , it was lost to the duergar thousands of years ago, when they were forced onto the surface before the cataclysm! As part on advanced research team you been on the surface for 6 months (your the last member alive) , you came accross a group of humans who seemed to be following you around , you have been watching there progress and have worked out they are on the same quest as you are, you have helped when neccessary andlook around for extra clues.

Then with half the party wiped out by a medusa you saved the cleric by slaying it, you tried to communicate, but your translator stone had been damaged, digging up one of your companions from a past battle, you find another translator stone.You have followed them to the lair of a wizard, who is in the guise of an immoth, if they fight it they it they will die, it is time for you to try a join up with humans !!!

Kolbi is a fierce dwarf, he speaks of battle with lust and fervour, he speaks about himself in the 3rd person , he is very honourable !, he will tell the group as much as he knows, you must get accross to the humans he will help find the lost library , the old dwarven tales talked of a magic compass , in the tomb of a Drow Wizard named Larin Karn, this tomb was located somewhere in the ashwood forest or deep within the wyvern mountains , your scholars are not sure ! But he you cant do it alone you need help, and these humans seem to fit the bill.

Clerics are messengers and servants of the gods, venturing forth into the world to spread their patrons’ gospel through compassion, reason, bargaining, or righteous conquest. They are the bearers of divine guidance—and divine wrath. From gentle and penitent village priests to holy warriors and church heads whose decrees can rock nations and foment upheaval across entire worlds, clerics are everywhere, their callings and methods as varied as the gods they serve. They are living proof of the gods’ power and interest in the world of mortals, and to deny them is to invite destruction, both in this world and the next.

In faith and the miracles of the divine, many find a greater purpose. Called to serve powers beyond most mortal understanding, all priests preach wonders and provide for the spiritual needs of their people. Clerics are more than mere priests, though; these emissaries of the divine work the will of their deities through strength of arms and the magic of their gods. Devoted to the tenets of the religions and philosophies that inspire them, these ecclesiastics quest to spread the knowledge and inf luence of their faith. Yet while they might share similar abilities, clerics prove as different from one another as the divinities they serve, with some offering healing and redemption, others judging law and truth, and still others spreading conf lict and corruption. The ways of the cleric are varied, yet all who tread these paths walk with the mightiest of allies and bear the arms of the gods themselves : More than capable of upholding the honor of their deities in battle, clerics often prove stalwart and capable combatants. Their true strength lies in their capability to draw upon the power of their deities, whether to increase their own and their allies’ prowess in battle, to vex their foes with divine magic, or to lend healing to companions in need. As their powers are inf luenced by their faith, all clerics must focus their worship upon a divine source. While the vast majority of clerics revere a specif ic deity, a small number dedicate themselves to a divine concept worthy of devotion—such as battle, death, justice, or knowledge.

Appearance Taldans generally have long, flowing brown hair and naturally bronze skin (gifts from their Keleshite ancestors). Their eyes tend to be small but expressive, with green, gray, and sometimes more exotic amber coloration. Taldans justify their legendary arrogance as deserved pride. They point to their scholarly successes, their noted intellectuals, their breathtaking art, their historical conquests, their natural physical beauty, and their unparalleled martial skills as evidence that, far from inflated pomposity, their cultural arrogance is simply appreciation of their obvious worth to humanity. Historians argue whether this same cultural arrogance was perhaps a large contributing factor to the fall of the Empire of Taldor. Taldor once held colonies across southern Avistan, north through the River Kingdoms, and west through most of modern Cheliax. Taldans’ complacency, their smug self-assuredness, their decadence, and their excesses, however, led them to believe their empire was inviolate. When the colonies broke away in the Even- Tongued Conquest, Taldor was stunned and slow to react. Corruption within the empire made it impossible for the Taldan people to reclaim their colonies, and their empire began a slow decline that continues to this day. Even so, Taldans act as though they still dominate the continent. Detractors of Taldan culture—of which there are many—scornfully refer to Taldan men and women as “roosters and harpies.” Anyone who has seen Taldan men strutting along a city boulevard, stroking their carefully groomed beards and speaking loudly of last night’s “territorial conquest,” or Taldan women in a gaggle, their elaborate wigs adorned with ribbons and jewels, giggling about “that poor woman whose tailor must be either blind or a Kellid,” can immediately understand these unflattering nicknames. Not every Taldan fits the cultural stereotype, of course, but most exhibit some degree of their iconic pride. For some, this pride manifests as a compulsion to point out anything inspired or influenced by Taldan culture. Others may habitually drop companions who seem “boring,” a practice especially common among Taldan women who have been conditioned to see males as attachments, meant to be entertaining and pleasing to the eye. Some take great pride in the fact that they are not prideful and exclusionary like most Taldans, and constantly point out how much they enjoy associating with other races and less wealthy and talented people. Taldans are in fact far from a useless race. Their pride could not sustain itself for so many generations without some basis in reality, and in truth, they are an impressive people. Taldan men are strong and agile and train rigorously with different weapons in their adolescence, with a preference for the falcata sword. The Lion Blades are a Taldan organization that specializes in stealth, infiltration, and ambushes. Lion Blades may serve the Taldan Empireopenly or in secret, but always use their art in service to their country. Taldan women often receive weapons training as part of their upbringing as well, but those of high society—and those who seek to emulate them—are generally expected not to enter any sort of dangerous occupation where they might require such training. In addition to their natural gifts, Taldans have a strong sense of responsibility toward less fortunate individuals. While Taldans might looks down on other races and cultures as “inferior,” a single destitute individual can move them to great acts of charity. Deserving Taldans obviously receive more charity than deserving people of other races and cultures, but Taldans are generous nonetheless— sometimes to a fault, as hedonism and a desire to live in the moment can lead many into debt. Taldans often focus their worship on the two gods of Taldan origin who are considered “respectable” by the upper class: Abadar and Shelyn. The poor, lower-class Taldan citizens, termed the “unbearded,” follow the example of their superiors, but many unbearded youth, disillusioned with the rotting decadence of the empire, choose to follow Cayden Cailean instead. Taldans are generous with their money when building temples, and stuff their places of worship full with paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and murals elevating their chosen gods—and themselves by association.

Born the son of a low born tavern wench, corik was always blessed with power to commune with the gods, he started life as a part time thief , but once he reached manhood at 13 , he was chosen as a trainee practical in the pathfinder society in absolom, with his unusual talent for getting into places for inquisitors , he gained rank quickly , and he was partnered with a young inquisitor Dakamon Bris, they both excelled , and were moved into a special judicial unit called the midnight runners , where they now work solving murders and working for anyone who has a strange story , or a mission to solve , in the quest for knowledge .

Grim and determined, the inquisitor roots out enemies of the faith, using trickery and guile when righteousness and purity is not enough. Although inquisitors are dedicated to a deity, they are above many of the normal rules and conventions of the church. They answer to their deity and their own sense of justice alone, and are willing to take extreme measures to meet their goals.

Role Inquisitors tend to move from place to place, chasing down enemies and researching emerging threats. As a result, they often travel with others, if for no other reason than to mask their presence. Inquisitors work with members of their faith whenever possible, but even such allies are not above suspicion.

Many Varisians are wanderers and nomads, traveling the land in caravans and stopping only to put on exotic shows or to swindle and seduce locals. Yet just as many Varisians settle down and form small towns or, in the case of Ustalav, entire cities and nations. Yet none can deny the stereotypical con artists or swindlers who give the Varisian people a bad name. Most respect the Varisians for their ancient traditions and vast knowledge but for the same reasons mistrust their motives. To ordinary folk, the colorful travelers who never settle but of lit about like butterf lies over the land seem fascinating, but also just a little frightening. A traveler can sit down in any tavern in Avistan and overhear a story about Varisians—how they never build towns or sow crops, how they live in the wagons that carry them over the land, how they sing and dance for money, how they dress in bright colors and cover their bodies with jewelry and intricate tattoos, and how a Varisian once robbed someone’s uncle’s wife’s brother’s best friend in an elaborate scam. Conventional wisdom holds that observers should view the beautiful, exotic Varisians from a distance, as if admiring a tiger prowling through the jungle. Tales of Varisian treachery and deceit usually come from interactions with the Sczarni—organized families of Varisian criminals dedicated to larceny and confidence games. The Sczarni travel less frequently than their kin, setting up shop in cities for months—even years—at a time. So long as their criminal activities go undetected, Sczarni continue to bleed their victims until their pockets are full or their neighbors grow suspicious.

Varisians call the world their home, even if they’ve settled down. They favor scarves of all sizes and colors, but some hold special significance. Most notable is the family scarf, or kapenia. Children receive their kapenias upon maturity; to own one is to be an adult. These long, heavy scarves display elegant and complicated embroidery that is incomprehensible to most outsiders. To Varisians, though, the scarves show their family trees. By tracing the loops and whorls of a scarf, a Varisian can trace a person’s history back through her mother and father, her siblings, grandparents and great-grandparents, as far back as the family possesses knowledge. Varisians believe that certain colors carry specific powers and choose their outfits to attract the right type of energy. Pink is the color of love, kindness, and courage. Red represents lust, long life, and inner strength. Orange is the color of happiness and resourcefulness, and adventuring Varisians often wear a touch of orange while on their travels. Green enhances wisdom and self-control. Turquoise represents physical strength and nonverbal communication, and most dancing costumes feature it. Blue is the color of health, youth, and beauty. Violet enhances intuition and divine inspiration, so most fortunetellers and seers wear violet scarves. Varisians love jewelry and favor gems over coins. Most Varisians pragmatically believe that wealth is harder to steal when worn than when hidden out of sight. Whereas the Shoanti use tattoos as marks of honor andaccomplishment, to a Varisian a tattoo is a work of art, one often used to enhance existing beauty. These tattoos typically incorporate various colors of significance to the person bearing the markings, and an entire method of magic revolves around certain mystic tattoos. This delight and obsession with tattoos stems from the periodic appearance of “birth tattoos” on newborn Varisians— birthmarks that can be extremely elaborate and colorful.

Some represent physical objects, such as a sword or a unicorn, while others spell out phrases in some long-dead runic language or outline a map. The tattoos might appearas tiny, blurred marks during infancy and childhood but grow with the child until they reach a clear and detailed full size at adulthood.

Built in the shadow of megaliths, Magnimar endlessly endeavors to surpass the overwhelming scale and grandeur of the ancient wonders that litter the Varisian landscape. A place of great opportunity, social stress, and cold beauty, the city exudesthe airs of a southern metropolis, seeking to rise above its ignoble beginnings as a refuge for Korvosan outcasts to become a beacon of culture and freedom in an unforgiving land. Yet its towering monuments, elegant gardens, ostentatious architecture, and elaborate sculptures form but a cracked mask over a struggling government and a desperate people in need of heroes.

As one approaches the town of Sandpoint, the footprint of civilizationupon the Lost Coast grows more clear. Farmlands in the outlying moors and river valleys grow more numerous, and the blue-green waters of the Varisian Gulf bear more and more fishing vessels upon its surface. Passage over creeks and rivers is moreoften accomplished by wooden bridge than ford, and the Lost Coast Road itself grows wider and better-kept. Sight of Sandpoint from either approach (south or east) is kept hidden by the large upthrust limestone pavements known as the Devil’s Platter or the arc of rocky outcroppings known as Whistler’s Tors, but as the final bend in the road is rounded, Sandpoint’s smoking chimneys and bustling streets greet the traveler with open arms and the promise of warm beds, a welcome sight indeed for those who have spent the last few days alone on the Lost Coast Road. From the south, entrance to Sandpoint is governed by a wooden bridge, while from the north a low stone wall gives the town a bit of protection. Here, the Lost Coast Road passes through a stone gatehouse that is generally watched by one or two guards—the southern bridge is typically unattended. Aside from the occasional goblin, the citizens of Sandpoint have traditionally had little worries about invasion or banditry—the region simply isn’t populated enough to make theft a lucrative business. Hanging from a bent nail at both the gatehouse and the southern bridge is a sign and a mirror— painted on each sign is the message: “Welcome to Sandpoint! Please stop to see yourself as we see you!”